


Day 80

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [80]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Origins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:14:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23234572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [80]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 80

The Arishok stood on the bow of the dreadnought, looking out towards the approaching city. He would miss his place in the Beresaad, the thrum of battle still called to him and he longed to be at the fore. But his place was not to question the will of the Qun, it was to be a servant and to obey. He was no priest, it was not for him to determine the will, something his predecessor had forgotten. The Qun was not ready for war, especially not with a united Thedas. As The Arishok was leaving to recover the dreadnought, the Arqun and Arigena were leaving on their own mission to placate the Chantry and stave off war until the Qun demanded it.

The wreck of the other dreadnought was not difficult to find, despite three years of decay. The assessment was that there were still many parts that could be salvaged but it would take a few days of work to make the thing seaworthy enough that they could tow it back to Par Vallan. That would give them time to cover their second purpose. An artifact, not as culturally valuable as the tome of Koslun, but far more powerful in a literal sense.

The Arishok, like his predecessor, distrusted magic and yet saw the need for it in military matters. This artifact was a compromise, capable of absorbing vast quantities of magical power. It was not clear what had happened to the artifact, if the Arishok was in possession of it at the time of the attack, he should have easily defeated the Champion of Kirkwall, but if he did not have the artifact, he should have sent word before the attack. Along with a Hisraad and Bas-Taar he had sent ashore to find the survivors from the attack, the Arishok had also dispatched an Ashkaari and Viddasala to seek out the artifact. He hopped their search would not take more than a few days, he could only stall so long.

The Arishok lamented the weakness of his predecessor, and the inflexibility of his ways. His failure had lost the tome of Koslun… again. The bas-thief Isabella had escaped his notice for years and when she fled, tomb in hand, he had reacted as a petulant child, destroying the city around him and getting no closer to his duty. From the reports he had heard, it was his disgust with the ways of the south that had grated on him all these years, he had seen the inherent selfishness of the humans, the way they ignored their shared purpose in life. He had expected them to react as unorganized individuals in the attack, as they had in the years leading up to it. But instead they united around their leaders, Hawke, Aveline, Meridith, Orsino and Dumar. The Arishok had killed only one and far too late to sow chaos.

The Arishok had seen the Blight in Ferelden. Their king had been killed at the beginning of the conflict and the lands had shattered, unable to unite, even to save themselves. The dwarves had fared no better. The only thing that had saved the pitiable nation was one champion: Barltok Brosca, now known as the Hero of Ferelden. The Arishok knew that if they were to defeat the South they would need to remove all the leadership at once, and strike down any champions who rose to challenge them. That was a matter for all the Qun combined, not just the Antaam. The previous Arishok had thought himself an island, and alone, he had fallen.

As the ship approached the docks, the Arishok saw a human with bright red hair and another with lighter orange hair, waiting for him. Behind them were many soldiers, and the Saarabas, Hawke. There were not nearly enough if the Arishok decided to attack, but that was not the demand of the Qun.

“As I said in my written message,” he called out. “We are here to collect the wreckage of our dreadnaught and to return any surviving soldiers to Par Vallan. The Qune demands no more blood to be spilled this day.”

“That’s all you have to say,” The orange-headed human said. “You ripped our city apart, slaughtered our people and you think you can just sail around here like nothing happened?”

“If the attack was the result of a rogue agent,” the red-headed human added. “Then we are owed reparations. If not then you are in violation of the Lomerryn Accords.”

The Arishok had no patience for these quibbles. They were here on a mission and these humans were lucky they had not decided to attack. One day they would learn that society could be better, that there was more to existence than their petty squabbling and that true fulfillment was found in service to the many. For today, there was only one thing they needed to know.

“We will never speak of this again.”


End file.
